Eugene W. Landy ’58, Founder and Chairman, Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation and Founder and Chairman, UMH Properties, Inc.
(From left) Robert Todd Lang ’47, Hon. Guido Calabresi ’58, Roberta Romano ’80, Eugene W. Landy ’58, Gloria Landy, Dean Robert Post ’77, Michael Landy, and Monica Landy
In presenting the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 remarked:
“Gene Landy is one of the pioneers and founders of the real estate investment trust (REIT) industry, which has played a critical role in reducing the cost of residential and commercial real estate by providing investors with a practical means of diversifying their investment portfolios into real estate. Gene early on recognized how the REIT creates value by turning illiquid assets into liquid ones, facilitating homeowners’ and entrepreneurs’ property acquisitions. His involvement in the REIT industry, dating back almost to the industry’s beginning, spans both the day-to-day operations of two real estate investment trust companies and leadership positions in important professional organizations, such as the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts and the Northeast Regional Association of Small Business Investment Companies.”
Judge Guido Calabresi ’58, former YLS Dean and Sterling Professor Emeritus, in remarks honoring his law school classmate on the occasion, further noted:
“I first met Gene some sixty years ago. He arrived as a kid just out of the Merchant Marines. His background was very different from that of many of his classmates. But the courage he had displayed by standing up for what he believed in, in the face of pressures to conform quietly at the Merchant Marine Academy, made him immediately respected and admired. Over the years his open mind, his capacity for original thinking, and his willingness even to be politically incorrect when he believed it right to take a non-conforming stand, have made him a towering figure in his field. Gene has been, and is now, a truly creative builder and in that he represents all that this school wishes for in its graduates. But beyond that, he has remained a loyal and affectionate friend to his school, to his classmates and – it is a special delight to say – to me.”
Judge Calabresi concluded the presentation by adding:
“Some years ago when his company was listed on the Stock Exchange I had the pleasure of being there with Gene and his wonderful family when he rang the Stock Exchange bell. It is an equal joy to be with him today as he receives the Simeon E. Baldwin award from the school we both love.”